While the currently available computer apparatus operate at faster speed to process huge amount of data over a prolonged time, their internal components, particularly the central processing unit (CPU), inevitably produce a large amount of heat and accordingly high temperature to adversely affect the normal function of the computer apparatus. Therefore, a cooling device, such as a cooling fan, would usually be provided to lower the high temperature of a desktop computer during operation thereof.
Since the above-mentioned conventional cooling device usually includes a driving motor and a relatively thick cooling fan to have a specific volume, it is not suitable for mounting in a portable notebook computer that must be compact and light to enable convenient carrying thereof. Therefore, when it is desired to dissipate heat produced by the notebook computer, an external cooling device must be additionally provided at a position as close as possible to a heat source of the notebook computer.
One of the most common external cooling devices is a cooling fan with feet. The feet are connected to a housing of the cooling fan to support the whole cooling fan thereon, so that the cooling fan could be positioned in the vicinity of the notebook computer to blow away heat produced by the operating notebook computer. However, since the cooling fan is positioned in the vicinity of the notebook computer instead of at a main heat source of the computer, such as the CPU, it has a relatively poor cooling effect.
A flat-type cooling fan assembly is a somewhat improved external cooling device, and has a flat main body with a specific area and volume suitable for the notebook computer to rest thereon. More than one cooling fan is provided in the flat main body to suck and expel heat produced by the notebook computer during operation thereof. Generally speaking, the flat-type cooling fan assembly effectively lowers the temperature at the bottom of the notebook computer. However, the multiple cooling fans included in the main body disadvantageously increase the cost of the whole cooling fan assembly. Moreover, the cooling fans in the main body are located at fixed positions that do not necessarily correspond to the main heat source to effectively dissipate the produced heat.